CA Allergic Reaction

[FireCapt782]

A few months ago I made a few pens and tried the CA finish, About an hour after finishing them and returning to the house I began to experience severe chest congestion and wheezing.
Thought it might be a reaction to the CA fumes, Last night I was in the shop a decided not to use the CA as a finish and to just use it to glue in the tubes. The only time I noticed CA fumes last night was when I was squaring the ends of the blank on the drill press.

I wore a dust mask the whole time I was turning to avoid any sanding dust, A few hours after retuning to the house I again had chest congestion and wheezing, But not as severe as the last time!

Could I be allergic to CA fumes to the point where even minor exposure sets it off?

What type of resperator should I use to stop this? I like the TREND System but the money is not there for one right now.

Should I try a different glue??

What other finish would give me the high shine of CA finish??

If I can't get this figured out I might need to give up turning all together!

Sorry for the long post
Jim

 

[Seer]

Get a small fan and have it blow the fumes away from you. I got a small one and mounted it above my lathe so it blew away any fumes. I used to get some killer headaches but none since I did this. A dust mask will not help with CA Fumes you would need a respirator with the proper filters for that if I am correct.

 

[FireCapt782]

I had a large fan going the whole time as it was about 90 degrees in the shop. :frown:

 

[Seer]

You may want to try this from Manny http://woodenwonderstx.com/WWBlue/NewGlueWS.html scroll down about 2/3rds to see it. It is orderless but I don't know anything else about it you may try and ask him? The only other finish I know that looks good to me is acrylic but have never tried it. Others here will have more info later.

 

[1080Wayne]

What woods were you using in both incidents ??

 

[Russianwolf]

For gluing the tube in, try Gorilla glue. It does a much better job than CA and doesn't have the fumes. If that solves the problem then you know you just need to find a new finish (I'd recommend Lacquer, takes longer to cure, but similar results).

 

[chrisk]

Hi Jim,
I had exactly the same problem. I concluded that I'm allergic to CA. Following the advise of one member from this forum I bought a specific dual cartridge mask. While I partially solved my problem (90% reduction) I later learned of different types of filters. Seemingly one has to find a "class 3" instead of "class 2" (my actual dual cartridge mask) protection. This is valid in Europe. I don't know for the US but I think that this should be a guide when talking to a specialized dealer.

Here is a web site with a lot of specific models: http://www.gemplers.com/dual-cartridge

Hope this helps.

 

[Padre]

I am allergic to it also, so I bought a 14 dollar gas mask off of Ebay, and it works great.

 

[DurocShark]

Melted plexiglass looks as good, and is nearly as durable. But the only odor is acetone.

 

[Wildman]

3M and Norton make half face respirators with replaceable filters that can handle both dust and vapors. You need to buy different filters though. Also must change filters so look at replacement cost of those in addition to price of respirator.

Here is a example:

NORTH 7700 SERIES

http://www.boss-safety.com/shop/nor...ors-north-7700-series-c-415_9_14_15_1185.html

In my town Home Depot had better price than Lowes on 3M respirators, not sure about availability of respirator or filters in your area.

Both companies offer technical assistance toll free, on you to find their numbers.
Might check with people at the fire house they may have better info.

 

[ldb2000]

Are you sure it's the CA , woods are far more sensitizing . You may be reacting to the wood .

 

[skywizzard]

Could I be allergic to CA fumes to the point where even minor exposure sets it off?

Jim

ABSOLUTELY!, I had the same problem, with the same reaction. A dust mask alone will not help. Get an organic vapor mask, or better still use a dust collector. I found after I installed a D/C, I no longer needed the mask. The problem seems to be not just the application of the CA, but the heat generated during the finishing with the CA. My reaction was severe and after a few exposures it took a couple of months to completely recover.

Good Luck.